Lizé began her life as a singer-songwriter with her first break as a nine year old in the hit musical – Annie. Whilst still at school she then signed her first recording contract with David Gresham Records, South Africa and at 21 years of age she entered South African Idols and landed herself a finalist position where she was placed eighth overall. After qualifying as a lawyer she moved to Australia, where, in June 2013, the South African Tourism Board invited her to perform the official tribute song for Nelson Mandela’s 95th birthday in Sydney, Australia. She followed this up in 2014 as a contestant on The Voice, Australia, after which she decided to return to SA and settle on the sunny shores of Cape Town. For the last 2 years she has excelled as a business entrepreneur in her role as Business Director and Co-owner of Rubybox Beauty in South Africa, driving her team and the business to new heights, year after year.
My Definition Of Success | Success has taken on many forms in my growth and continuous growth as an individual, and morphed from monetary goals into relationship goals. I think ultimately what I have learned is that unless you are giving back and investing some of the “fruits” of your labour into people around you, your community and even the progress of your country, your fruits are pointless and essentially your “legacy” will not extend into the future. It is easy to become inward and focussed on “your” journey and to lose sight of the big picture which requires you to teach, give and learn from others, and the irony is that often the giver is the one who learns more from the process than the receiver.
I Am Driven By | My source of energy and “drive” comes from a belief in God and that I am required, as a person who has been so blessed, to bless others around me. When I am close to giving up I rest in God’s presence and then find that my energy and “drive” is renewed. I also believe that it is God who wants us to live our best lives possible and wants us to prosper. There is a guilt I have noticed in people thinking that they should not ask for more than the minimum. I believe the opposite – that we need to flourish and that this will allow others to feel that they too have the ability to flourish.
The Difference Between good And Great | I believe that the “greats” have dedicated time every single day to their vision. Their vision also resonates with them at a core level. There is no option, but to succeed. There is no plan B. This often imbalanced approach leads to huge success in one area, but can also mean that they often can suffer in other areas of their lives, as these parts are often neglected.
A Key Talent | Perseverance and sheer grit! There have been many times I have felt I have taken on too much and that not only was I physically exhausted, I was mentally fatigued as well. When I was in my final year of my law degree I was at the same point in time in a television show called Idols and spread myself between three jobs; singing professionally, a television presenter role for SuperSport (a sports channel in South Africa) and hosing a radio show on Jacaranda.fm (Johannesburg). I remember being so exhausted that I questioned if it was all worth it. What kept me going was the belief in my vision and the ability to compartmentalize. You need to break things down sometimes to just ‘the next ten minutes’ or you will feel like you’re overwhelmed.
Principles I Live By | Treat everyone as if they are important, because they are. It doesn’t matter if they have something you want or nothing to offer you at all. It is important to acknowledge the greatness in everyone.
Critical Skills I Develop | The ability to multi-task. If I didn’t multi-task I would be completely bored and I probably would run out of energy.
Lessons I Have Learnt | It is not about where you are, but about how you feel about where you are. Your mind-set is EVERYTHING. Another very critical lesson I have learned is to CELEBRATE. When you do get to a minor goal, make a big deal of it for yourself. It will push you forward and give you the self-confidence to continue. Involve the people that matter the most to you in your celebrations, they too are integral to your success, as you may need to be reminded why you are doing everything in the first place at some point in the future.
On balancing High Performance with Happiness and Contentment | I struggle with this all the time. I think that the problem with being someone with many options as a high performer is that it tends to create many opportunities in which they can excel, which at the same time creates a dilution of attention and a dissatisfaction in ourselves.
The Best Advice I’ve Received | To think big. To think bigger than you think you should. You will be amazed at how much you really can achieve.
Advice On Building Wealth | Take council from wise people around you. Read the paper and watch the news every day. Stay in touch with what is happening around you and be curious. Ask questions. All.The.Time! You need to identify a problem and it is in the solving of that problem where the opportunity for wealth lies.
